1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for transporting incapacitated individuals in emergency and non-emergency situations. The present invention relates more specifically to a collapsible, foldable, transport surface capable of supporting an individual when carried by one or more (preferably two or more) individuals with handhold components incorporated onto the edges of the surface.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are many existing devices designed to facilitate the transport of incapacitated individuals in either emergency or non-emergency situations. For the most part these devices comprise rigid, full body length, platforms onto which the incapacitated individual is placed and strapped down or otherwise retained while two or more emergency personnel or healthcare personnel carry or otherwise transport the individual along with the platform on which they have been placed. These existing devices take the form of simple backboards, often configured with foam padding for assisting with the retention of the individual on the backboard, or more complicated stretchers and gurneys that allow transport of the individual over smooth flat surfaces. Most of these devices are designed to be rigid and to accommodate the full body length of the incapacitated individual primarily because spine and neck injuries are frequently associated with the emergency situations wherein the transport surface is called for. In many cases, however, it is clear to those providing the assistance to the incapacitated individual that no such injury is present and a full sized rigid transport device is unnecessary and cumbersome.
A significant problem associated with all of the rigid full length patient transport devices currently in use is the difficulty with which such devices are initially transported to the location of the incapacitated individual and thereafter the difficulty with which the individual and the transport surface are removed from the location. There has been significant need, therefore, for a patient transport surface or transport device that is easily movable in and out of tightly confined environments, both with and without the patient placed on the surface, in a manner that is generally not possible with full sized rigid based transport surfaces.
Some efforts have been made in the past to provide slings, harnesses, and other flexible mechanisms for securing, positioning, and transporting incapacitated individuals. For the most part these devices are difficult to manipulate and place on or around the incapacitated individual and at the same time provide great discomfort to the incapacitated individual during transport. Any number of compact sling or harness devices have been designed and utilized, every one of which is it difficult to safely secure the harness to the incapacitated individual and thereafter to easily facilitate the transport of the individual by two or more assisting personnel.
It would be desirable if a patient transport surface was available that had the size benefits of a smaller, collapsible harness or sling, and at the same time provided the ease of patient placement that is associated with the full sized rigid platform transport surfaces. It would be desirable if such a device were easily collapsible or foldable into a compact transport configuration that could be readily moved to the individual to be assisted. It would be further beneficial if once located near the individual to be assisted, the device could easily unfold or unroll into a configuration that provided simple and direct placement of the patient onto the support surface. Thereafter, it would be desirable if the transport surface could be carried by as few as two, and even possibly only one assisting individual with comfort for the patient being transported. It would be further desirable if the device were adaptable for use by more than two assisting personnel in such a manner that even greater comfort and greater mobility could be afforded the incapacitated individual in tightly confined environments. It would be beneficial if the compact foldable device were adaptable for use in conjunction with the core body components of the incapacitated individual (i.e., did not necessitate support of the legs) or could easily be altered in configuration to provide support of the legs to the incapacitated individual.